Ladies out there, we all know how bad that time of the month, also known as our period, is. I've even written an article about how bad it is, while I was menstruating, just to get my feelings out.
However, I forgot to mention another terrible time of the month. The one or two weeks before you start to menstruate. The thing that everyone talks about in the media. The thing that guys actually fear.
That's right, PMS. Or pre-menstrual syndrome, if you didn't know what it stood for.
It basically prepares you for the hell that is about to come in the next one or two weeks. It also baits you into being unsure of when your period is actually going to start. So now you have to write down your symptoms in your Period Tracker app to try to predict when it actually happens. Especially me, because my period tends to fluctuate and skip due to high-stress levels, so I have been tracking my symptoms in a way to predict when I'll get it this month.
Those early signs of PMS start with some acne. Unless you're like me, and you have acne in general, it sticks out as warning number one.
For those of us with greasy skin, the actual warning number one of PMS is my least favorite thing about this time period. That is shooting pain in the breasts. I have been woken up at night due to my boobs hurting and struggle to deal with it in public. I've gone through a bunch of Advil trying to deal with it.
Speaking of Advil, I've also taken it for back pain and headaches, also known as other PMS symptoms. I get headaches all the time, but they are way more constant during my period. And the rest of my body hurts. Basically, everything hurts.
I know everyone thinks PMS is when you get angry and irritable, but I don't feel that way. I just feel out of it and unmotivated. Maybe it's all the painkillers.
It seems like I just got my last period, had a few bad days post-period, a few normal days that I couldn't enjoy because I was sick, and now I'm back to menstruating. If you take out the sick days, this is how most months feel for me. I'm almost always dealing with this. Please give me your pity.
I have talked to a few doctors about this, and I have decided to start taking birth control on Sunday, so I don't get the pills confused. Hopefully, this will give me an easier time with the hell week. And I'm hoping that it is easier to predict what happens next.